University Science and Corporate Research Bow to Craven Politics
The US press corps, including NJ press corps, thankfully have criticized or condemned Governor Christie’s remarks about vaccines, e.g. Star Ledger’s Christie’s pandering on vaccines is a health hazard and Bergen Record editorials.
I think the media, although critical, completely miss the depth of cynicism in the Governor’s remarks, which I believe reflect a conscious strategy: a dog whistle appeal to far right Republican primary voters regardless of the science or impacts on public health.
Christie accomplished that objective by his framing of a simple sound bite that sent messages and pushed the buttons of libertarians (parental free choice); religious zealots and home schoolers (parent’s views more important than public officials); anti-government Tea Party types (reject government mandates); and the anti-science, conspiracy theory, Fox news crowd, from climate deniers to anti-Darwinian evolution intelligent designers.
I was reminded of Lee Atwater’s disgustingly infamous remark:
Atwater: You start out in 1954 by saying, “Nigger, nigger, nigger.” By 1968 you can’t say “nigger” — that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states’ rights and all that stuff. You’re getting so abstract now [that] you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites. And subconsciously maybe that is part of it. I’m not saying that. But I’m saying that if it is getting that abstract, and that coded, that we are doing away with the racial problem one way or the other. You follow me — because obviously sitting around saying, “We want to cut this,” is much more abstract than even the busing thing, and a hell of a lot more abstract than “Nigger, nigger.”[8][9]
But, with all the focus on Gov. Christie, I’ve seen nothing that even mentions the role and responsibilities of Rutgers President Barchi and Celgene Senior Vice President Richard Bagger (other than a photo caption).
Barchi was obviously on the Gov.’s tour as a representative not only of Rutgers University, but of NJ’s academic science.
Barchi’s presence was far more than a solicitation of corporate investment in NJ based research – he sent a much broader message about the important role of science in NJ’s economy, culture, and politics.
Barchi’s first duty is to university values and integrity, not to loyalty to the Governor.
Barchi miserably failed that duty by refusing to speak out to correct – or by distancing himself and Rutgers from – the Governor’s false, ignorant, and dangerous remarks.
Instead, Barchi sent a message that NJ University leadership will bow to politics when critical tests of integrity emerge. He has undermined the reputation of and embarrassed the entire Rutgers and NJ academic community – and on a world stage.
Similarly, Richard Bagger was there representing not only his employer, the corporate research firm Celgene, but the larger corporate science and technology enterprise of NJ.
Bagger also had larger duties, not only to the reputation of his employer Celgene, but to larger corporate values of science and integrity.
He too remained silent and spinelessly bowed to politics.
How can this kind of craven behavior and lack of courage and integrity by academic and corporate leaders inspire the confidence of the public – or private investors?
Why isn’t it denounced as prominently as the Gov.’s ignorance?